A suspected burglar caught on camera in two incidents almost exactly a year apart could be a “professional”, police have said.

A suspected burglar caught on camera in two incidents almost exactly a year apart could be a “professional”, police have said.

The man was first captured on CCTV in Cardiff in December 2011, loitering in the back garden of a house in Old Hill, St Mellons, Cardiff.

Footage from the incident, on December 18, shows him looking into windows and attempting to open the patio doors, but he is unable to get into the house and leaves.

A similar-looking person, who police believe is the same man, was then caught on camera a second time – almost exactly a year later.

This time, he targeted a house in Coed yr Gores, Llanedeyrn, on December 3, 2012.

A number of credit cards were stolen from the house, which happened to have a camera because its owner is a CCTV engineer, but police say the culprit never attempted to use the cards.

DC James Morris, of Rumney CID, said that, in this incident, the man appeared to be “forensically aware”.

He said: “Just like in the first incident, he walks around trying all the doors.

“This time, he finds one that is unlocked.

“He opens the door using something that looks like a tissue, so that he doesn’t leave any fingerprints, and then he goes away and waits five minutes to see if anyone comes to close it.

“Then he returns and goes in. Five minutes later he is seen calmly closing the door and calmly walking away.”

DC Morris said the relaxed way in which the man appeared to work – including waiting five minutes after opening the door and being careful not to leave any fingerprints – meant the suspect could be a “professional” thief.

He said he was not sure if the man has broken into other houses in the city that do not have CCTV cameras, or if he travels around the country targeting particular properties.

Because of that, DC Morris has now circulated the man’s picture to other forces in England and Wales, in the hope that they might also be investigating similarly mysterious cases.

If you have any information, contact Rumney CID on 029 2077 4233, police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting incident reference number 6212 0389 882.

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